Hey y’all!! The time has come for me to leave this blog and move forward to my new blog: Train Happy!! I have been wanting for a long time to own my own domain and self host, and I decided a whole new blog was in order to be able to focus on races and training.

So please come on over to my new blog Train Happy. I will be blogging there from now on and will not be blogging here at NNA. So make sure to change it in your google readers and follow my new blog.

I am also changing my twitter name to @Train_Happy so if you see that, it’s me!!

I know I have been MIA the past couple days… I’ve been quite busy :) To catch y’all up on my training, I did an easy 3 mile recovery run on Monday. My legs felt tired and so sore from my 9 miler the day before but I had to get some miles in! My legs loosened up around mile 2 and by then, my run was about over!! I didn’t run again until Friday (due to 12 hour clinical days) and I just did another easy 3 miler because I had a 5k the next day (this morning) and didn’t want my legs to be too tired! I didn’t even wear my Garmin for this run, it felt so weird not to have it on! But anyways, my mileage will be a bit smaller than I would like this week due to my lack of time. Oh well, as long as I get my long run in tomorrow I will be happy!

The wonderful people over at POM Wonderful sent me a case of these cute little bottles of their pomegranate juice to try!

My husband is in love with this stuff and has been drinking them left and right! I am not a huge juice drinker, usually because of the sweetness, but this pomegranate juice has the perfect amount of sweet and tang! It’s very yummy!!

And last but definitely not least, my exciting big news!! I am officially launching my new blog this afternoon, so stay tuned for the blog name, address, and first post!! I will post it here on NNA so everyone should be able to find it pretty easily. Stay tuned friends… :)

I had a long run on the schedule for today. How long you ask? Well 9 miles, that’s long for me right now :) I made sure to have a good dinner last night and get into bed at a decent time. Who am I kidding, I’m always in bed at a decent time! I like my sleep! Anyway, the weatherman said it was going to be chilly this morning so that means I can sleep in a bit later and don’t have to get up at the crack of dawn to run!!

I ended up waking up around 6:30ish. I have FINALLY figured out some pre-run fuel that sits well with my tummy. GU’s. I know it’s not much, but it’s better than nothing and has been the only thing this far that doesn’t give me tummy troubles during the run. So I took one GU before my run and one at mile 5 and carried my handheld water bottle with me. I am really digging my handheld. I definitely wouldn’t be hydrating enough if I didn’t have it with me!!

It was quite chilly this morning! My phone said 48 degrees when I was about to head out for my run. I was a little unsure of what I should wear since it seems like forever since I have run in the cold weather!! I decided to tough it out and wear capris and short sleeves. I’m glad I did because I ended up sweating by the end of my run! It was pretty windy too which made it tough when I was running directly into the wind. And of course, my very last mile was directly into the wind. I felt like I wasn’t moving at times! Haha.

I actually felt really good the entire run, until the very end when my feet were really hurting. I am very happy with my time, seeing as my average pace was a lot faster than the previous two 8 milers I did. So I feel like I am right on track for my half marathon.

My splits:

Mile 1: 10:45

Mile 2: 10:34

Mile 3: 10:39

Mile 4: 10:33

Mile 5: 10:41

Mile 6: 11:21 (walked for a minute to take my GU)

Mile 7: 10:44

Mile 8: 10:45

Mile 9: 10:26

Total:1:36:27

Avg Pace: 10:43

I am very happy with this run!! My legs and feet are sore now, so I’ve been icing my feet and stretching a lot. My plantar fasciitis is giving me lots of problems, which is more annoying than anything. I probably could have benefited from an ice bath, but I usually don’t do those until I get up to 10 miles. Yes, I realize it’s only 1 more mile but I like to “save it” until I hit the double digits. I know, I’m weird :)

I am happy with all my runs for this week. I got in all 4 with a grand total of 21 miles. Not too bad. Wish I could run 5 days per week but 12 hour clinical days kinda limit my time :) How many days a week do you run?

I think that’s it for now, going to go and relax a bit more and ice my feet again. Have a great Sunday!

Hello!! It is time for me to draw winners from my St. Jude Blog Raffle!! I definitely think this was a success!! I am only $25 away from hitting my fundraising goal for my St. Jude Heroes Fund! So thank you to everyone who donated and entered the raffle!!

I am using Random.org to draw the 3 winners. I put everyone’s entries into a spreadsheet so I could keep up with them. So without further ado…

On the running front… I have had 12 hours clinicals the past 3 days so this morning was my first day to run since I last posted. I was so exhausted and slept in until 10am! That is unheard of for me but it was definitely needed! I am still tired from my busy week!! I just needed to do an easy run because I have my long run tomorrow. I decided 3 easy miles would be good. Well, the run went ok. It was hot, I felt tired, and I also felt really dehydrated which made this run not so easy!! I am hoping I feel much more well rested for my long run tomorrow, otherwise it’s not going to be pretty!!

I’m trying to mentally pump myself up for my 9 miler in the morning! Anyone do their long runs already this week? How did they go? Anyone running long tomorrow?

Well, that’s really all I have for now! I am still in need of $25 more dollars to hit my fundraising goal, so if anyone would like to donate please go to my St. Jude Heroes Fund webpage and do so!! Thanks y’all! Have a great day!

Hello bloggies!! Just wanted to remind y’all that my St. Jude Blog Raffle ends tomorrow night!! Please enter if you haven’t all ready! I’m raffling off some great products :) I’m almost at my fundraising goal, and I know I can get there with your help!! Thanks friends :)

Y’all, I seriously had the best run this morning! It’s been a long time since I was able to run a longer run at a fast pace (for me!). I had a 6 miler on the training plan and I really wasn’t sure how it was going to go. I slept in and really had a hard time dragging myself out of bed! I was just so comfortable!! So around 8am, I headed out to conquer this run!!

The temperatures have been awesome here! It was in the low 50’s when I started out this morning. Another great thing about cooler temps: I get to sleep in and don’t have to wake up at the crack of dawn to run just to beat the heat! Love that! Anyway, back to the run… my first mile was a bit tough due to my plantar fasciitis. The first mile of ANY run always sucks because it’s painful. I hate PF and wish it would go away! But, I am happy that it really doesn’t bother me too much after the first mile.

I ran a hilly 6 mile route that I haven’t run in a long time. Probably since this time last year when I was training for a half marathon! It was nice to break away from my usual routes and get a change of scenery! Some lady did try to run me over coming out of the Sonic parking lot though. She was too busy stuffing her face with Sonic to make sure to look both directions before pulling out. Good thing I was paying attention! Geez people!

But other than almost getting run over, this run went really smoothly. Every mile I finished, my Garmin beeped with a sub-10 minute mile. And I just kept thinking, I’m going to pay for this later at the end of the run! But I never did! I just kept feeling better and better! I was really pushing myself from hill to hill and felt great!!

I think I was due for a great run because my past two 8 milers have been really tough and slow, which made me a little worried about my half marathon goal pace. But after today’s run, I feel much better :)

Stats:

6 miles in 59:04

Mile 1: 10:16

Mile 2: 9:56

Mile 3: 9:50

Mile 4: 9:51

Mile 5: 9:42

Mile 6: 9:27

Avg Pace: 9:51

I will take that!! I am super happy :)

After 4 days of running in a row, my legs are ready for a break. I have clinicals for the next 3 days so I won’t have time to run anyway, so my legs will get a nice break! Well, except the fact that I’m on my feel all day at clinical. But, at least a break from running :)

How have your runs been going this week? Are you training for something?

Hello, hello! Hope this fine Monday is treating y’all well! I don’t mind Mondays so much when I don’t have to go to clinical :) I go Wed-Fri this week. That’s the good thing about 12 hour shifts, you only go 3 days a week :)

Anyway… I have a few runs to share with you. Let’s back up to yesterday. I had an easy 4 miler on the schedule. I have issues with “easy” runs because I am always trying to run faster and faster. For the most part, my “easy” runs turn into progression runs where I keep trying to run each mile a bit faster. My easy pace is supposed to feel easy and well, this run felt moderate, definitely not easy. Oh well, I’m sure I am benefiting from a faster pace! Just hope it doesn’t hinder my recovery and such. This run was quite uneventful. I spent the entire run thinking, which I normally don’t do! I usually zone out but my mind was going a mile a minute! Mostly about my blog raffle and launching my new blog (more on that soon!). So the run ended up flying by, which is nice!! Plus, the weather was awesome, 58 degrees!

And today I decided to do a 3 miler, supposedly easy but I ran it moderately again! It was super windy today, which reminded me of how much wind comes along with cold temps. I absolutely HATE running in the wind. But it wasn’t too bad today! Again, another uneventful run. I did see some people out running this weekend though! I have lived in my town over 2 years and have never seen another runner (besides my old running buddy), until this weekend and I saw 3! Crazy, right?!? Guess the running thing is catching on out here in the boondocks :)

3 miles in 28:56

Mile 1: 10:15

Mile 2: 9:45

Mile 3: 8:58

Avg Pace: 9:39

I was really booking it for that last mile :) Sometimes it just feels good to run fast and hard!!

Alright, now on to the title of this post: Toe Blister Help!! All of a sudden, this past week I have started to get these blood blisters on the bottoms of my big toes. They hurt too, especially while running!! I’ve tried using body glide on my feet, doesn’t really help. I thought it might be my thin socks I wear, so I bought some new socks yesterday at the running store and am hoping those help. But do y’all have any other suggestions for blisters? They are so annoying and I am afraid they are going to mess up my long run this weekend!!

Hello! Happy Saturday! Hope y’all are having a great weekend!! I went to bed super early last night because I was exhausted. Besides the fact that I have to get up at 4:30 am 3 times a week and go to clinicals for 12 hours, I am not sleeping well AT ALL the night before clinical. It’s just nerves, because it’s all still new, but I wish I would start sleeping better! Needless to say, I slept in until around 8am this morning, which is pretty late for me!! Luckily, the weather has cooled down a bit and wasn’t scorching for my run this morning. Plus, it was pretty cloudy for my entire run. It’s nice when there is no sun beating down on you!!

My St. Jude Half Marathon training plan said I was supposed to be doing mile repeats this morning. I hate mile repeats and was totally not feeling it, so I decided to do hill repeats instead! I have a nice, steep hill exactly 1 mile away from my house, which makes for the perfect spot to do hill repeats. The hill is exactly a 1/4 of a mile too. I started out with a faster than normal mile warm-up. I just felt like running a bit faster, so I did. Then I did 6 hill repeats, each with a cool down jog back down the hill. And I ended my run with another mile as a cool-down, for a total of 5 miles.

I enjoy doing hill repeats. I love really charging up that hill and pushing myself hard. I like to think of hill repeats as a type of speed work, because I am definitely pushing it hard and a lot faster than my normal pace. Plus, I run a lot of hills and do races that have hills, so it’s definitely an important aspect for me to incorporate in my training! Do you like hill repeats or speed work better?

I recorded a show called The Endurance Traveler on FSN that many of you would probably like to watch (I saw an ad for it in Triathlete Magazine). It was all about the Brazil Ironman today and it was awesome to see all those people racing an Ironman and all the planning and thought that goes into a race of that distance!

I’m trying to just kind of relax today and catch up on stuff. I rented the movie Letters to Juliet to watch tonight, (although I’m sure hubby won’t be too thrilled that I rented that movie) I think it looks cute!!

Have you entered my St. Jude Blog Raffle yet? I am raffling off some great stuff so please enter. It’s all to help me raise money for my St. Jude Heroes Fund!! There’s not very many entries yet so that means a good chance of winning!! And please spread the word!!

Hey friends!! It’s time for my St. Jude Heroes Fund Blog Raffle!! I am very excited to be doing this and hope it helps me reach my goal for the kids of St. Jude!!

As many of you know, I am running the St. Jude Half Marathon on Dec. 4th as a St. Jude Hero and raising money for the kiddos of St. Jude along the way!! My goal is $500 and I am a little over halfway there!! I just know I can hit my goal, but I will need your help! I thought a Blog Raffle would be a fun way for y’all to win prizes and for me to raise money for St. Jude!

So, I have 3 separate running related items to raffle off and I will be drawing 3 winners! I figured that gives y’all a better chance of winning something! Let’s talk about the products I’m raffling off!!

First raffle item: Zensah Compression Leg Sleeves in Red

The awesome people at Zensah were nice enough to send me these leg sleeves for my raffle!! I have talked to lots of people who LOVE their leg sleeves!! According to the package, the leg sleeves:

The Zensah fabric is anti-microbial, thermal regulating, moisture wicking, and ultra-breathable. I need to get me a pair! These sound fabulous!!

Second raffle item: CEP Compression Socks (you pick the color!)

I love the pink ones :) The wonderful people at sportscompression.com were nice enough to let me raffle a pair of their CEP compression socks!! They also gave me a 15% off coupon code so if you don’t happen to win these socks, then you can buy them at a discounted price!!

To use the coupon code: go to www.sportscompression.com and put in “BLOG15” in the coupon code box at checkout. (I will be putting this coupon code on my sidebar also). Easy right?!? I’m definitely getting myself a pair (pink of course!!)

Top 5 reasons to wear CEP Compression Socks:

CEP is made with over 50 years of experience by a WORLD LEADER in medical compression products, medi, with "medi Ultimate Compression Technology. (www.cepcompression.com)

Medically tuned compression designed specifically for the athlete to improve performance, recovery and overall quality of life.

I am a huge fan of this water bottle!! This is what I carry on all of my long runs now!! The little pocket in front is the perfect size to hold keys, small cell phone, or gels! From the website:

Moisture-wicking, adjustable Airmesh hand strap

22 oz. (650 mL) Hydration Bottle with Clipless Cap

Zippered pocket with Key Clip

3M Scotchlite™ reflective trim

So those are the raffle items! Hope y’all like them!! I guess I should tell y’all how to enter the raffle right?!?

Initial Mandatory Entry: $5 donation to my St. Jude Heroes Fund. For every $5 you donate, you get an additional entry into the raffle. Example: $5 = 1 entry, $10 = 2 entries, $15 = 3 entries and so on. Be sure to leave me a comment telling me how much you donated so I know how many entries to give you!!

Additional Entries: After you do the mandatory entry, you can get additional entries each day by:

posting about my raffle on your blog

tweeting about my raffle- be sure to include @nikiruns and a link to the raffle in your tweet

posting about the raffle on your facebook page

Make sure to leave me a comment each time you do an additional entry so I can give you credit!! And remember, you can do the additional entries each day!!

The Raffle starts NOW and ends Friday October 1st at midnight CST. So that gives you a little over a week to build up your entries and to spread the word!! Good luck to everyone!! And remember, we are doing it for St. Jude!!